Tughlaqabad Fort

View from Tughlaqabad (Pic by Shamima)

For the ones interested in visiting Tuglaqabad Fort in Delhi, it should be clear that it is a fort that once was. It isn’t there anymore. What remains now are the massive walls which will give you more than a hint of what existed in the past. Some people might even say ‘Haan pahad hai’ ( Yah it’s a hill) when you ask about the place. But don’t expect a hike either. Nonetheless, go there.

Situated on the outskirts of Delhi it offers a magnificent view of the city. It is no hill (for a Nepali) but on climbing the ruins you find yourself on an elevated point where you can feel the cool breeze across your face. It’s the USP of the place apart from the ruins. Destruction can indeed look very beautiful at times.Half a part of a wall, an underground passage and the massive fort wall visible from the main road make Tuglaqabad Fort what it is. Across the street lies the mausoleum of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq.  It is a well-kept unique structure with sloping walls surrounded by green grass.Coming to think of it now the place is ironical in a way. The fort where people once lived is in ruins. The building which houses the tombs of the dead, however, is well maintained. But all of it corresponds to the fact that Delhi is a place which celebrates death. The most beautiful places here are built around tombs like Lodhi garden or tombs themselves like Humayun’s Tomb.

Hope the pictures(below) inspire you to visit the place if the text didn’t.

An Obituary to the Travelling Slippers

One among the two which made The Travelling Pair of Slippers broke on Thursday 17: 14 pm , March 3, 2011. The Travelling Slipper made for the right foot was in its 8th month of work. The real age of the slipper is unknown. The cause was twisting of the slipper against the leg support of a table, said its owner. The slipper had been in regular use since Aug 11 of last year (2010).

Kovalam

An Indian Cup of Cricket

Cheering for Delhi Daredevils in IPL? Go take a sip of Delhi Coffee-Devils at Café Coffee Day!

Hockey might be the national game of India but it is cricket that scores all  runs when it comes to popularity. And if IPL (Indian Premier League) the game alone wasn’t enough feast to this cricket crazy nation, Café Premium League (CPM) is running successfully in Café Coffee Day (CCD) outlets ! CCD is the Starbucks of India. I was in CCD, Nehru Place yesterday. Here’s what I had : Delhi Coffee Devils, a CCD tribute to Delhi Daredevils an IPL team from the city. The Innings Break stands tall next to it.

Bhogal: An Indian Market

Bhogal. That’s the source of my stress-buster: Vegetable Patties. I know Vegetable doesn’t grow at Modi’s pastry and that Mother Diary isn’t the correct source of milk but that’s what Bhogal makes it seem. It’s a source of just about everything the residents of Jangpura and other localities around Bhogal need. Starting from food which includes a variety of North Indian, South Indian, Nepali/ Tibetan/Chinese and Afgani cuisines to all the ingredients required to cook anything else it is home to hairdressers, tailors, bartanwallahs (utensil sellers), dry-cleaners, hardware stores, mobile stores, cloth stores, furniture stores you just name it. And if you ever feel too materialistic walking through lanes solely dedicated to one product, for instance, there is one lane here which only has tailor shops, the other lane specializes in hardware products there are temple(s), a mosque, a gurudwara, a budhha vihar and a church to visit.

Holi in Delhi

 

HOLI: A little boy seen in Asaf Ali Road

Poverty doesn’t bother Indian media

Are there too many Tigers in India?

A star speaks his mind. The practitioners of the ‘politics of intimidation’ can’t believe he said so. The star won’t apologize. Neither will the paper tiger. The war is declared. The media harps twenty-four seven about ‘My Name is Khan’ (MNIK). One talk show after the other, tweets, debates, so many people yapping on and on about it. The commotion is understandable. An intolerant political goon against the Badshah. Everyone has a right to have an opinion. That’s understandable too. The politics of intimidation must end. One must stand up for what one believes in.  No second thoughts about the aforementioned statements either. But what is the entire controversy about? The freedom of speech, isn’t it?

A person after s/he is fed, sheltered and clothed knows the importance of the freedom of expression. How much would the freedom to express matter to the one who is hungry? How much air time/print space do the violence ridden states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Jharkhand receive in the Indian media each day? How much time do the vibrant Indian media have for such people who know not of the Right to Life itself? How much appeal does a reality which does not involve sex, power and the celebrity hold for it?

Barakhamba Road, New Delhi

After completing exactly one and half hour of driving lessons over a period of 3 days I decide it’s time to practice. The maroon car parked outside the Nepali embassy in Barakhamba Road looks tempting. The Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) library on the opposite side looks equally tempting but I have made up my mind. It is an opportune moment for practice. The road was empty and there was no danger of traffic as it was only a parking space after all. There were no people in sight either so it had to be done. I slip into the driver’s seat. And everything feels different. The gear, the clutch and race (that’s what the instructor calls the accelerator) all have a new feel. It is a different car after all. I want to drive the vehicle straight till a certain point. That’s the plan. But as soon as I start the vehicle and let go of the clutch it heads right towards the wall.

Clutch and Braaake, I use my feet just in time.

Three boys who I’d seen inside the embassy witness the drama. Obviously I am embarrassed and by the time one of them knocks on the window and says ‘Reverse Gear’ I have forgotten every single thing the instructor has told me. And I do not know what Reverse Gear is! A bespectacled Nepali guy gets into the car and parks the machine straight. I thank them profusely and explain my lack of driving skills at the same time. I don’t think they made any sense of what I was saying. They keep glancing back at the car even until they cross the road. I feel like hiding under the seat but I sit up straight. I turn on the radio and the 95.0 FM is playing ‘Runaway Train’ by Soul Asylum

Runaway train never going back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I’m neither here no there

Just the perfect timing. Finally, the wait is over. It’s time to walk. Thankfully, I KNOW how to WALK.

Barakhamba Road

Barakhamba Road is best introduced by Sam Miller in his Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity as ‘Central Delhi’s only true street of skyscrapers’. And it’s true.